Daily Archives: 8 Apr 2011

And come to an agreement to avoid a government shutdown, according to ABC News. Should they be applauded? No way. They should never have allowed the brinksmanship to occur. The fact that they did simply shows their own ineptitude.

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We know with certainty, 1. That God takes care of the whole human race, but especially of his Church. 2. That God governs all things by his will, and regulates them by his wisdom. 3. That he has most abundant power of doing good; for in his hand are heaven and earth, all creatures are subject to his sway, the godly rest on his protection, and the power of hell is restrained by his authority. That nothing happens by chance, though the causes may be concealed, but by the will of God; by his secret will which we are unable to explore, but adore with reverence, and by his will which is conveyed to us in the Law and in the Gospel. — John Calvin

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In the event of a government shutdown, the Pentagon would have to delay payments of the $100,000 death benefit that families receive if a military service member dies in the line of duty, a senior defense official said Friday. Families would get the money eventually after the government re-opens, but they could have problems paying expenses, including for the funerals, the official said, adding that the Pentagon will reach out to various military aid agencies to help those who need it.

For all Congresses blather about how they love and support the troops they sure have a funny way of showing it.

Rich politicians may have no problem laying their loved ones to rest but lower middle class military personnel would find it an incredible struggle. So thanks, Congress, for showing your true colors. And they aren’t red, white and blue.

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A Kingsport woman has been arrested after allegedly entering Higher Ground Baptist Church, wandering around, then exiting with a bass guitar. The guitar was later sold to a pawn shop, located less than a quarter mile from the church, leading police to the identity of the alleged thief. Cassie K. Chapman, 25, of 2009 Flanders Street, was arrested Thursday. She is charged with felony theft of more than $500.

What do you want to wager that she stole it and sold it to get money for drugs? Worst of all, though

The footage allegedly revealed two women, accompanied by a small child, entering the church on March 30. One woman allegedly exited the building with the child, while the other woman continued to, “wander around.” When she came across the guitar, according to police, she grabbed it and left.

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A Catholic TV priest has taken a leave of absence after admitting to a sexual affair with his second cousin. According to the San Bernadino Sun, which first reported the relationship, Michael Manning, 70, will be leaving Wordnet, the worldwide television ministry he founded in San Bernadino in 1978, to reflect on his relationship with Monterey Schools Superintendent Nancy Kotowski. Manning, who claims to no longer have a sexual relationship with his cousin, said he has sought and received forgiveness from God. “That’s the neat thing with Jesus. There can be the chance of starting again,” Manning said in an interview with the Sun.

Ewwwwww….. How’s it even happen? ‘Hey, you’re hot.’ ‘Wow, I’ve always thought that about you too, Father Cousin’ … Gross.

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On behalf of all sane Americans I want to apologize that our Congress is populated by petty, small, trifling, idiotic, self serving, simple minded, useless, moronic, vile, depraved, wicked people in both the House and Senate.

I apologize that they think making political points pandering to their special interests is more important than solving a problem of their own making.

I apologize that America has abdicated the moral high ground and has now descended into a nation led by people who are more curved in on themselves than a parrot with nails that never file off.

I apologize that we can only manage to worry about other nations if they have something we want. Did we truly care, we would have intervened when the slaughter in the Ivory Coast commenced.

I apologize for a Congress that has become completely disinterested in the American people. I apologize that – in spite of all their fancy rhetoric to the contrary – they just don’t care.

So they’re shutting down the government because they are more lame than 8th graders on the playground. God help them- they’re making Divine judgment inevitable.

So, World, I apologize for them. And because of them.

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A fourth-grade teacher in Alexandria was arrested on child pornography charges and acknowledged that he has downloaded and viewed inappropriate images of young girls for “a long time,” federal authorities in Virginia said Thursday. Justin Coleman, 35, a dual-language teacher at John Adams Elementary School, was arrested Wednesday evening, authorities said. He had a pair of girls’ pink underwear in his pocket, court papers say, and told agents that he had gotten them from an 11-year-old Russian girl he met through an international program. Court papers did not specify how he may have known the girl.

Evil people, you make me wretch. And the most evil of all are the sickening depraved pedophiles. So what’s the solution? Castration and permanent imprisonment with no hope of parole. Ever. Maybe with that sword dangling over their perverted heads pedophiles will think more than twice about acting out their wicked and disgusting inclinations.

According to papers filed in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Coleman, who was charged with receipt of child pornography, told agents that he stole a backpack from school that contained the underwear and jeans and that he kept the underwear. Court papers say he also said he had spied on a young girl changing her clothes, but the documents do not indicate where that occurred.

*Mumble* It is just so enraging.

According to court papers, authorities searched Coleman’s Falls Church home Wednesday. They found “numerous” pornographic images and videos, the documents state.

Who with a conscience could – 1), abuse a child and record it with pictures and videos? And 2), watch that kind of abuse without actually literally vomiting?

I sometimes wish God would rise up in righteous wrath and obliterate such people, wiping them off the face of the earth forever. Sometimes? No, always, come to think of it.

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The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Wednesday that a North Carolina university’s decision to deny a professor a promotion based on religious and political commentary – inspired by his conversion to Christianity from atheism – is unconstitutional.

Ah but if he had only been a black radical atheist muslim lesbian transsexual spouting whatever views she wanted the University would have embraced her (him) and given him (her) some sort of fantastic award as well as appointing her (him) to some prestigious chair.

But what’s UNC-W’s beef?

A three-member panel ruled that University of North Carolina–Wilmington professor Mike Adams’ political activities constitutes protected, private speech and that university officials could be held personally liable for damages should Adams ultimately prevail in the case. The ruling strikes down a lower court ruling asserting that Adams’ writings could be considered part of his professional duties as a criminology professor at a public university and were therefore not protected by the First Amendment.

Ok, then

The appeals court said in its opinion, “No individual loses his ability to speak as a private citizen by virtue of public employment.” Adams frequently received accolades from his colleagues after the university hired him as an assistant professor in 1993 and promoted him to associate professor in 1998. In 2000 Adams, a former atheist, became a Christian. After his conversion, Adams began writing a syndicated column addressing issues such as morality, homosexuality and abortion. When he applied for full professorship in 2004, then interim chair of the department Dr. Diane Levy raised concerns about his political activities and recommended that Adams change his writing style.

Oh so she wanted to muzzle him. Makes sense what with all that much vaunted ‘academic freedom’ Universities like to prattle about.

The following year, the new chair of his department, Dr. Kimberly J. Cook, and a 14-member panel denied Adams’ request for full professorship. He sued university officials in 2006 claiming they violated his religious free speech and equal protection rights after being denied the promotion.

If he had only been that black radical atheist muslim transsexual… but he made the mistake of being a Christian. He most certainly was right to sue because it most certainly was a violation of his rights to speak and write as he wished without his ‘accredited’ institution attempting to quash him.

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ABC News’ 20/20 is set to air a program tonight featuring fundamentalist baptist pastors who do loony things like advise parents to spank two week old babies and who suggest that if there’s no bruising, there’s been no spanking…

To which I say… why? Why can’t the fringe loony nutbags be Lutherans? Or Presbyterians? Or Methodists? I actually know why- because those denominations require their clergy to have an education and Baptists don’t. As a consequence, there are imbeciles in Baptist pulpits in astounding numbers saying the most inane and insane things in the name of the Bible and Christianity.

Of course that doesn’t mean educated people don’t do stupid things. Just look around at colleges and universities and you see more than enough stupidity. But it does mean that an uneducated clergy is a dangerous clergy.

In other words, there are too many dilettantes in Baptist pulpits and it’s because of the anti-intellectualism which fundamentalists love so much. And fundamentalism breeds ignorance just as much as ignorance breeds fundamentalism.

And it will continue to be this way until Baptist churches demand that their clergy be educated. Until that day, Baptists will continue, sadly, to be featured in the news for saying stupid and unbiblical things. After all, you can’t expect any better from people who don’t know any better.

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While we wait for a scholarly edition of the Hebrews papyrus, hopefully including images, and adequate information about the provenience, we have to be extremely cautious about the claimed second-century date. In the past there have been numerous claims from representatives of collections like these including the Van Kampen collection, and of course there is, coupled with a strong interest to promote the items in the collection, a real danger to through out sensational claims about “earliest biblical texts known to-date,” etc (which media just loves).

The way forgery, fraud, and overblown claims float around like idiocy in Washington, DC these days it’s best not to get too excited about any claims made by almost anyone.

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The story of Hezekiah’s illness, recovery, and last days is recounted in 2 Kings 20. After he recovered he invited some Babylonians to take a look at all his treasures and then he was given a good dressing down by the Prophet Isaiah. His response to that dressing down, and the judgment of God which it described, was most peculiar.

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD: Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the LORD. And some of your own sons, who shall be born to you, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?”

‘The word which you have spoken is good. I don’t care if my nation is destroyed and my sons castrated and become eunuchs in the Babylonian king’s service, as longs as everything’s ok with me.’ That’s Hezekiah’s totally selfish and completely self absorbed response!

What I find so interesting about that response, though, is that it is so widespread today.

I was at the gym this morning trying to get my abs a bit more ripped (ok, even mildly visible. Oh ok, freed from their layer of whale blubber) when I chatted with a friend who works for a government facility. I said ‘Are you ready for the shutdown?’ He replied ‘It won’t affect me at all, everything is well in my world’. Yes, that’s exactly what he said. And it shows that he has what I deem The Hezekiah Syndrome. That is, that amazing disconnectedness from the lives of others and how situations and circumstances for others may be negatively impacted by decisions outside their control.

He’s not alone. There are a lot of Christian people (and he is a Christian) who just simply don’t care what happens as long as it doesn’t happen to them. They don’t ‘rejoice with those who rejoice’ and they don’t ‘weep with those who weep’ as Paul admonishes us (Ro 12:15). I find this disposition utterly inexplicable when it’s found in the people of God. Utterly inexplicable and thoroughly sub-Christian.

What happens to others should matter as much to Christians as what happens to themselves. ‘Love one another’ is no mere slogan, it is life and peace and truth.

The Hezekiah Syndrome: I bet if 90% of the people in America looked in the mirror they would see a victim of it staring back at them.

Yesterday, Gloria Marie James, the proud mother of the Miami Heat star, was arrested outside the Fontainbleau Hotel in Miami Beach, Fla., on charges of simple battery and disorderly intoxication. According to a police statement, Rockfeller Sorel, a valet at the hotel, claimed he was assaulted by Gloria James because her car was taking too long to be delivered. The police report said, “Ms. James was apparently intoxicated as she had bloodshot eyes and a strong odor of alcohol on her breath.” Police said James, 43, was arrested, processed and released to Heat executive Steve Stowe. Unfortunately for LeBron, it’s not the first time his mom has been in trouble with the law. In 2006, she was arrested in Akron, Ohio, for DWI and speeding. She was sentenced to 3 days in an Ohio driving-intervention program and fined.